The purpose of this post is to illustrate and promote a working example of long term therapies which support the medical model used for myself and could be used to extend the current British National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines (NICE) – in order to incorporate a long term therapy concept regarding schizophrenia and other conditions and diseases.
The theory is that alternative support, like long term clinical hypnotherapy and long term CBT plus psychotherapy and counselling, was effective in helping my schizophrenia by reducing my medication in order to improve my quality of life. The analysis criterion is the medical evidence of my lifetime recovery in terms of quality of life with my long standing schizophrenia of over 28 years. I have discovered these alternative therapies personally and I now report a permanent improvement in my condition. My conclusion is that the alternative therapy experience is effective in reducing my medication for schizophrenia to the international minimum recommended dosage level by the Medical Model; for me this was an effective support mechanism to the Medical Model.
Schizophrenic symptoms for most people in Britain today are controlled with the use of psychotropic medication and for the last 28 years I have been under this regime.
My experience is long term therapy in order to reduce long term schizophrenic medication.
In October 2002 – under medical supervision – I started to reduce my 50mg weekly injection of depixol medication for schizophrenia. I had been having this 50mg weekly injection for 15 years. At the same time, my medication reduction experiment started, I began weekly sessions of CBT and clinical hypnotherapy – plus psychotherapy and counselling.
In 2009, I finalised my medication reduction and reached a 60% reduction of depixol. This tremendous reduction of depixol has only been possible through persevering with the weekly therapy sessions which were funded, experimentally, by my local education authority as part of my disabled student package. Later I changed to the newer risperidone 6mg daily medication.
It must be stressed at this point, that my weekly therapy sessions enabled me to cope with substantial withdrawal symptoms; these included chronic irrationality, an increase in hearing voices, paranoia, delusional ideas and severe and terrifying hallucinations. Long term, this alternative therapy more than adequately supported me through these symptoms.
For me it was my unconscious and not just my conscious mind which needed addressing. I felt I needed clinical hypnotherapy to get deep inside my mind, so that the other therapies could penetrate those hidden recesses.
I think the 12 weeks CBT offer from the NHS is not enough for a single (i.e. 5mgs) medication reduction. I have read that even the pharmaceutical industry recommends at least 16 weeks for a single medication reduction. So, in my opinion and experience – the NHS has got it wrong.
Because I am a severe case of schizophrenia I was only able to reduce my weekly depixol injection medication by 60%. Also, I believe the above mentioned therapy and counselling regime could well prove to be effective with cases of depression, bipolar, anxiety, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Incidentally, my schizophrenic mother, whose first language is Gujarati, was refused my therapy and counselling treatment because her English was not good enough. These therapies and the counselling I think therefore need to be made available for non English speakers.
I think my therapy experience costs less in costs than a lot of the smoking and drinking alcohol a lot of people do each week in many countries not just England so I hope one person is inspired to go for counselling from my story one day - all I can do is hope for that. Good Luck!
"Discovery Alternative Support Additional In Schizophrenia"
About: Collective Voice: North West Standing Conference Collective Voice: North West Standing Conference Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust / Adult mental health Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust Adult mental health PR5 6AW
Posted by ssh (as ),
Responses
See more responses from James Maclachlan
Update posted by ssh (the patient) 14 years ago
See more responses from Mick McKeown
Update posted by ssh (the patient) 14 years ago
See more responses from Mick McKeown
Update posted by ssh (the patient) 14 years ago
See more responses from Mick McKeown
Update posted by ssh (the patient) 14 years ago
See more responses from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Update posted by ssh (the patient) 14 years ago